


Fashionably Late

by asakurafan (mad_en)



Category: Battle of the Planets, Kagaku Ninja Tai Gatchaman & Related Fandoms
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Drunken Flirting, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff and Crack, Fluff and Humor, Holidays, Pre-Canon, Teen Romance, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-08
Updated: 2016-08-08
Packaged: 2018-08-07 12:36:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7715152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mad_en/pseuds/asakurafan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A holiday party reveals some revelations about the true feelings of the soon to be G-Force team members. A piece of Holiday Fluff, set in the BOTP universe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fashionably Late

**Author's Note:**

> This started life as a Gatch piece, but refused to maintain any angst and decided to become a BOTP story- my first. Many thanks to my beta readers, Sal and H who had to muddle through my early drafts and did so with great good humor and wonderful advice. The usual fanfic disclaimers- everyone and everything here belongs to Tatsunoko and Sandy Frank. The story is mine.
> 
> Disclaimer: The drinking age in the 1970's was lower than it is now. This is also in no way an endorsement of underage drinking-just a bit of light-hearted fluff.

The Chief looked at his watch, then back up the stairs. _‘What’s the hold up?’_ he thought irritably. Not that he enjoyed official functions particularly, but President Kane’s annual holiday party was considered a mandatory inconvenience. The team’s presence was required; not as the yet unproven G-Force, but as his adopted ‘family,’ and he expected them to make a good impression. Mark and Tiny were already seated at the table, trying not to rumple their cadet uniforms. Jason was sprawled on the couch reading a racing magazine; suit jacket off, sleeves rolled up and tie hanging loose.  
  
He’d sent Keyop upstairs five minutes ago to see what was delaying Princess, and was startled by a loud shriek, followed by the youngster suddenly bolting out of her room and down the stairs two at a time.  
  
"What in blazes...?" he began, but was stopped by Keyop’s laughter. When he became excited, the little guy’s speech impediment worsened, which didn’t help much in figuring out what had happened. After sifting through the assorted stammers and giggles, the Chief finally realized that not only was the only female in the house not ready, but she was in a near hysterical state and would not be ready for some time. Glancing at his watch, he made an executive decision.  
  
"Mark, Tiny and Keyop will come with me. Jason- you bring Princess as soon as she’s finished- and if you don’t show up soon, I _will_ send a car for you!" he added sternly, knowing that Jason would be just as glad to skip the whole event.  
  
"No problem. I’ll see that she gets a move on!" Jason grinned back at the Chief. He knew the older man meant business, but Princess had bought him at least an hour’s less time in that straightjacket and that was something to smile about. "Bye, boys!" he added, as Tiny glared at him over his shoulder.  
  
After they left, he settled back on the couch, only looking up when he heard something crash upstairs.

 "Prin?"

He got up and yelled up the stairwell. "You ok?" No answer. He tossed the magazine and started up the stairs. He knocked on her door. "Prin?" he asked again, as the door gave way under his hand. He stood in the doorway, completely dumbfounded by what he saw.  
  
Princess’s room, always immaculate, looked like a tornado had gone through it. The bed was a rainbow pile of dresses; shoes were all over the floor, and various female accessories lay everywhere. Princess was seated at her dressing table, head on her arms, sobbing.  
  
"Hey- Prin- you ok? What happened?" Jason began uncertainly. This sort of thing was definitely out of his league.  
  
"Go away!" she cried, refusing to lift her face.  
  
"I can’t- I’m your ride. Chief’ll have both our butts in a sling if we don’t show up at this shindig. What’s wrong?"  
  
She finally looked around at him- her hair was a tangled mess: half up, half in knots. Her face was blotchy from crying, and the carefully applied makeup was in real danger of being completely washed away.  
  
"Jeez! You look like a raccoon," he said, shock outweighing tact. This pithy comment only sent a hairbrush flying past his head and another gale of sobs. Jason cursed himself silently, and tried again.  
  
"I’m sorry, Prin. You’re just usually… more together than this. Can I help?" he added hesitantly.  
  
"I seriously doubt it," came the muffled reply. She lifted her head up, and regarded him. Deciding that he was genuinely trying to be nice, she added, "It’s just that everything is going wrong and I wanted tonight to be special. It’s a real grown-up party, and we get to dress up for a change… and…and… I don’t know anything about being a girl!" she finally blurted out miserably.  
  
This being _way_ out of Jason’s league, he sat down on the bed and took the unusual precaution of thinking before he replied. "I guess it’s tough being the only girl. We kinda’ forget you are one, I suppose."  
  
"Thanks a lot!" she snapped back.  
  
"Hey! I’m trying to be helpful here."  
  
"I know- I’m just upset. I mean- look at me!” she sniffed. “There’ll be all sorts of beautiful women there and I look like a freak show!"  
  
"You’ll look fine."  
  
" _’Fine’_ isn’t good enough!"  
  
Realization finally smacked Jason across the head. "This is about _Mark_ , isn’t it?"  
  
She shot him a panicked look. "Prin, it’s been pretty obvious you have a crush on him since he got back," he added smugly.  
  
"Jason don’t you _dare_ say a word to him or I’ll kill you!" she shrieked, launching toward the bed. He caught her hands in his before the nails left their mark, and quickly promised not to say a word. If Mark was dense enough not to notice Prin’s feelings, then he was on his own- Jason wasn’t gonna help him. But he softened as he looked at her tear-streaked face. If Mark was what Prin wanted, then Jason was gonna help her get him.  
  
"Listen, I’ll help, but you’ve gotta pull yourself together. Okay?"  
  
She beamed at him. He regarded her with the professional air of a reputed Casanova. "I think you should definitely put your hair up. It looks…sophisticated."  
  
"I already tried. What do you think I’ve been doing up here?"  
  
Jason picked up one of the many beauty magazines that littered the floor and paged through it. "Here- you could do this. How hard can this be to a girl who can reroute a circuit board blindfolded?" he grinned at her. "Think of it as a training exercise. You know, _connect strand ‘a’ to strand ‘b.’_ ” He glanced through the instructions. “Pins…Oh, you need one of those rubber band thingies too."  
  
She looked at him quizzically, but had calmed down immensely since he was obviously not making fun of her. She plucked out the rest of the pins, and started afresh. "Since when did you become an expert at this stuff?" she asked with a smirk.  
  
He winked at her. "I’ve taken _down_ plenty of girls’ hair-it’s part of the fun." He dodged another flying brush. He continued leafing through the magazine. "Hey! These chick mags aren’t bad! This one’s practically naked!’  
  
"Give me that!" she snatched it away.  
  
"Spoilsport! This is the last time I help _you_." When she wasn’t looking, he picked up another and settled back on the bed. "What’re you wearing, anyway?"  
  
"Something that you’re probably sitting on and ruining right now! Get off those!" He shifted over, and glanced down at the pile of fabric. "Where’d you get all these?"  
  
"I went shopping and bought anything I didn’t hate- so you can’t ruin them, because whatever I don’t wear has to go back. All right- how’s this look?" she turned around expectantly.  
  
Jason looked up and smiled. "Much better- see- I knew you could handle this. Easy on the hairspray though!" he choked as a cloud wafted over.  
  
"Alright, since you’re _‘Mr. Know-it-all’_ you pick out the dress. You _do_ have the male perspective I suppose." She stood before him, modeling various dresses by holding them up to her shoulders.  
  
"No…no…ugh-what were you thinking? No…wait. The green- definitely."  
  
"Why the green?"  
  
"It’s the exact color of your eyes," he responded softly, ducking back behind the magazine to hide his sudden embarrassment. She looked up, surprised, then kissed him lightly on the head.  
  
"Thanks, Jase. You’ve been a sweetheart- I really appreciate it. Now scoot so I can get changed! I can handle the rest."  
  
"Oh, _nice_! Make me leave at the best part! Oh hey- don’t forget the raccoon eyes!" he laughed as he fled out the door followed by another shoe. He went downstairs and attempted to straighten himself out. The shirt collar was definitely staying unbuttoned, and he managed to loop the tie on so it didn’t choke him. A wicked gleam lit up his face, and he went into Anderson’s study. He opened one of the cabinets built in to the wall, and beamed. _"Paydirt!"_ he said softly. The Chief didn’t seem to imbibe much himself, but always kept a few bottles on hand for company. Jason raced back upstairs, pausing at Prin’s door.  
  
"Hey Prin- what smells the least like alcohol?"  
  
"Vodka, I think…why?" The door suddenly opened a few inches, and her shocked face peeped through. "Jase, you wouldn’t…"  
  
"Like hell I won’t! You expect me to deal with all those talking heads going on about ‘how tall I’ve gotten’ without some kind of fortification?"  
  
"Jason!"  
  
"Prin- you tell and I’ll…"  
  
"I’m not gonna tell- you’ve been too nice to me."  
  
"That’s my girl!" He went back down and got two glasses out, poured them each a shot, and put the bottle back. As he came back out of the study, he glanced up. Princess stood hesitating at the top of the stairs, and Jason’s mouth dropped open.  
  
Jason had actually been responsible for her nickname; its origins in his native tongue: _"principessa_." He couldn’t even remember why he started it; he probably thought she was being uppity, but it had stuck so tight that the team used it as her given name.  
  
Tonight, he thought admiringly, she truly looked like a princess. The dress was a deep emerald satin, cut low and sleeveless. With her dark hair swept up, she was gorgeous and looked elegant and mature. If Mark didn’t notice her tonight he was a fool, Jason thought with satisfaction.  
  
"Wow." He breathed finally. She beamed at him as she came down the stairs.  
  
"You know, if you were Mark, this would be just like a scene from a novel..." she said in a dreamy voice.  
  
He smirked, somehow disappointed. "Sorry- you’ll have to make do with me."  
  
"Oh no, I’m sorry- you know what I mean…"  
  
"Hey it’s ok. Here- drink this."  
  
She looked warily at the glass. "Chief would kill us…"  
  
"It’s for courage. _Salut!_ "  
  
They both tossed them back, and Princess grimaced. "Ugh!"  
  
"Now c’mon, we’d better get out of here before Chief does send a car."  
  
"Jason…" she put her hand on his arm to stop him, "Thank you."  
  
"Anytime, Beautiful." He grinned at her. "I’m sorry I don’t have a glass coach or anything, but I did wash the car this afternoon!"

 

  
****************************************************

 

  
They pulled up to the building, and Jason stopped to let Princess out. No valet was gonna touch his 'baby'. "You can go in- I’ll just park the car."  
  
"No, I’ll wait for you. Just hurry before my hair blows out."  
  
Jason returned to catch the guard _and_ the valet flirting with Princess, who was nervously trying to ignore them. He glared at them and they backed off, recognizing him. He held out his arm like they did in the movies and winked.  
  
"See- you’re _already_ a hit. Mark’ll be wiping drool off the floor – every guy in this place is gonna be after you tonight."  
  
"You think?" she asked shyly. Jason looked at her in surprise.  
  
"Prin- don’t you realize how beautiful you are? Mark’d be a moron not to see it." He grinned at her. "Ready, _‘Your Highness’_?"  
  
She gave him a dazzling smile. "Yeah. Let’s go."  
  
They walked in the door like they owned the place, and Jason smiled with pride that she was causing a stir. Mark’s back was to them, but he turned when he saw Tiny’s expression. His eyes went huge, and he almost choked on his drink.  
  
Jason squeezed her hand and whispered "Congratulations. _Target has been hit!_ "

  
  
  
****************************************************

  
  
_*Jason’s Rule of Surviving Any Sort of Function: Make friends with the bartender.*_

 

He had been lucky enough to find the guy was a car enthusiast, and had happily spent a good chunk of the evening enjoying illegal alcohol and trading automotive war stories after escaping from the obligatory handshakes and introductions. He glanced around occasionally, and was glad to see that Princess was drawing attention from a lot of the younger men, which should definitely send a jealously jolt to Mark. All in all, the night was not going too badly for him, especially after he made eye contact with a nice looking blonde down the bar.  
  
After his initial shocked greeting, Mark had been conspicuously absent from her side. The other young men who had approached her retreated as soon as they realized whose ‘daughter’ she was, and Princess had spent her evening either trying to keep Keyop out of mischief, or standing around miserably watching Mark dance attendance on the Chief. Tiny was no help as he was glued to the buffet, and Jason had deserted her. She had been so caught up in the idea that tonight Mark would come to his senses and declare his undying love (or at least ask her to dance) that it was taking all she had to maintain her composure.  
  
_‘Maybe Jase has the right idea,_ ’ she thought as she eyed the waiter about to pass by with a tray of champagne flutes. _‘Get drunk enough and anything is bearable.’_ She smiled at the young man, hoping he wouldn’t guess her age, and he immediately offered her a glass. Thanking him, she drifted off, hoping the Chief wouldn’t spot the glass and drank it as quickly as she could manage without looking too unsophisticated. _‘A moving target is definitely harder to catch,’_ she smirked as she deposited the empty glass on a table and snagged a new one from a different waiter.  
  
She played this game several times, until her now slightly unsteady trajectory landed her at the bar. She smiled seductively at the bartender as she placed her latest empty glass before him.  
  
"I think I need a refill," she purred. She felt an arm under her elbow catching her as she missed the barstool she had been attempting to perch on.  
  
"I think you need some air."  
  
"Jase! _There_ you are!" she laughed back giddily. Her expression abruptly changed to a pout. "No, nevermind! I’m mad at you- you deserted me. Bartender, another champagne, please." She turned her winning smile back to him, but he had noticed Jason’s subtle head shake and had retreated over to the now annoyed looking blonde whom Jason had unceremoniously dumped after he noticed Prin’s state.  
  
"C’mon, Prin, let’s get you some fresh air," Jason began softly, trying to steer her toward the door. He’d had enough to insure a pleasant evening, but had paced himself knowing he had to drive home later. Princess had obviously set no limit for herself, and he realized he’d better set one for her.  
  
"No! I don’t want any air, I want more champagne!" She tried pulling away, but his grip was tight. Jason suddenly realized they had caught Anderson’s notice, and knowing they would both be screwed if he realized Princess was drunk, Jason suddenly pulled her onto the dance floor.  
  
"Hey Prin, let’s dance. You wanted to dance, remember?" he smiled at her. Startled at the unexpected offer, she went into his arms obediently and smiled dreamily back at him.  
  
The band was playing a slow number, and Jason hoped the Chief wouldn’t realize he was practically holding Princess up while he moved her around to the music. He kept his eye on the closest exit, the conservatory. He risked a glance back to the Chief, who had returned his attention to his conversation. Jason breathed a sigh of relief until he realized his predicament. Princess was clinging to him, caught up in the romantic music, her head on his shoulder. If this was any other girl, he’d have been thrilled, but he was too intent on getting her out of there to appreciate the irony. Besides if the rest of the team spotted them, he’d never hear the end of it. He didn’t notice that a particular pair of sky-blue eyes was following them intently.  
  
He finally managed to propel her out into the darkened conservatory; Princess still locked in his arms.  
  
"Um…Princess?" he began.  
  
She lifted her eyes to his, a sweet expression in her inebriated eyes. "Jase, I didn’t know you could dance," she began softly. She stared at him in the intent way very drunken people do. "You know, you’re really very handsome all dressed up," she added, reaching up to gently brush a lock of hair out of his eyes.  
  
Jason felt his heart begin to beat faster. God, it felt wonderful to be holding her. She looked so beautiful in the moonlight streaming through the glass ceiling. He felt a sudden urge to kiss her, then came to his senses. He got up quickly.  
  
"Prin, stay there! I’ll be right back, ok?"  
  
"Where are you going?" she asked petulantly.  
  
"I’m just going to get us another drink, ok?"  
  
"Ooh! Good idea. I’ll be _wai-ting_ for you," she sang after him, and he was surprised to realize for the second time in the last five minutes he wished her reaction to him wasn’t due to the fact she was drunk.  
  
He stepped back into the banquet room, and finding what he was after, quickly returned to the garden hoping she hadn’t wandered off. She was sitting on the ledge of a fountain, trailing her hand in the water and softly humming the song they had been dancing to. She looked up with a smile when she heard him, but her expression changed as she realized that he was balancing coffee cups instead of champagne flutes.  
  
"Ja-son! I don’t _want_ any coffee!" She got up and whirled around unsteadily. "I want to have a good time-I want to dance and drink champagne…and… and…I _hate_ Mark!" she finished abruptly.  
  
Jason put the cups down and caught her before she ended up in the fountain. He smiled at her last remark. He realized that she was in this state because Mark must have been ignoring her all evening. He was _such_ a jerk. Jason thought fast.  
  
"I’m sure he wanted to stay with you, but you know how Chief likes to show him off."  
  
"No! You’re the only one who’s paid any attention to me all night, and after I tried so hard…"  
  
"Prin- don’t cry- you’ll look like a raccoon again," he said quickly as her eyes began to well up. "Have some coffee."  
  
She rubbed her tears away with the back of her hand- an endearing motion that made Jason want to ‘fix everything’ for her. He watched as she tentatively sipped the coffee.  
  
"You probably think I’m such an idiot," she began softly, keeping her eyes on the cup.  
  
"Actually, no- I’m impressed. How’d you manage to get that much champagne anyway?" he grinned back wickedly. It made her smile.  
  
"My incredible feminine wiles, which were _obviously_ of no use for anything else."  
  
"Nonsense. Mark noticed you. Every guy in the room noticed you. _I_ _noticed you_ ," he added in a very soft voice. She looked up at him questioningly. "Don’t you ever think there’s anything lacking in _you_. You are beautiful. Mark is just an idiot."  
  
"You really think I’m beautiful?"  
  
He couldn’t answer; just nodded his head as he regarded the splashing of the fountain. He risked a quick look at her, and realized she was blushing again. She met his eyes briefly, then looked around the room.  
  
"It’s really lovely in here, isn’t it? They even decorated. Look up."  
  
Jason glanced up at the evergreen roping and his eye was caught by the arrangement hanging directly above their heads. "What is that stuff, anyway?" he asked, desperate for a new topic of conversation.  
  
"Mistletoe," she said quietly. Their eyes met, and she gave him a sly smile. "You do know what it’s for, don’t you?"  
  
"Umm.."  
  
Suddenly her hand was in his hair, pulling his face close. She kissed him directly on the lips; a quick kiss, but her face showed that she was as unprepared for their mutual reaction as he was. Jason felt as if he had no control of his own actions as he pulled her back close and kissed her again, slowly and intently. When they finally pulled apart, breathless, he stammered out, "I’m sorry!"  
  
He watched as she brought her finger wonderingly to her lip. "I’ve never been kissed like that before," she said softly. A shy smile lit her face.  
  
Jason got up quickly and ran his hand through his hair. He had to get her out of here- they both had had too much to drink and would be very sorry this happened tomorrow.  
  
"Sorry it wasn’t Mark," he said brusquely. "It won’t happen again."  
  
She looked a little hurt, but responded evenly. "No, I should be the one to apologize- you’ve been nothing but nice to me all night and I throw myself at you because I’m upset with Mark."  
  
"Do you think you’re steady enough to make it out of here?" She nodded miserably. "Ok- I’ll take you home." He started for the door, when he felt her hand on his arm.  
  
"Jason," she began hesitantly, "I just want you to know…I…I wasn’t kissing Mark… I was kissing _you_. I just… I want to… to thank you for…" She trailed off, embarrassed and unable to look at him.  
  
Jason smiled, and reached down to tilt her chin up. "Hey- Thank _you_. You know, this is the best party I’ve ever been to! C’mon- let’s get out of here."

She smiled back at him; the tension broken, he took her hand and they made their way back through the crowded ballroom to the exit, neither noticing the pained expression on Mark’s face.


End file.
